What Jesus does for Sinners

What Jesus does for Sinners: Revelation 1:4-7

Perhaps you heard the story this past week of a group of people who won a recent big lottery jackpot. Apparently, one of the regular people who play the lottery with this group was away on vacation and was unable to contribute to the pool. Now that the group has won, he wants to be back in the pool and claim his share of the prize. In order for him to receive the prize, he has had to hire a lawyer and will have to fight a court battle. And even after the battle is finished, there is no guarantee that this man will ever claim any of the riches from the jackpot.

Now, wouldn’t it be nice if we could hire a lawyer and have us included in the lottery win. If we could, many of us would. But what happens to the prize? For every person that puts his claim in, the prize amount gets smaller and smaller. Before you know it, no riches would be left to be shared.

You may be surprised to hear this … but I have some great news for you. A letter has arrived here at Bradford Alliance Church today and it’s addressed to you. YES … it’s a free gift for YOU! The letter says that there is an inexhaustible resource that has been given to you. You don’t have to hire a lawyer to claim it and the prize is never ending and beyond description. All you have to do is believe the gift is for you and receive it.

In contrast to a lottery win where you have to spend your hard-earned money for a one-in-a-million chance of getting a jackpot, you and I have been offered guaranteed riches. These riches do not deplete when someone else gets on the team but rather the inexhaustible pool of resources that belong to Jesus become freely available to us through faith in Him. And these resources are not temporary like the ones we’ve seen vanish this week in the stock market. Rather they can begin today by faith and will last for all of eternity. God loves you so much that even though you were a sinner, He gave you Jesus. For you to receive this amazing gift, you need to believe (which involves repentance) in Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and receive Him as your Lord. When you do this, all of the richness of what He does for sinners is credited to your account … you receive eternal life!

Today, as we come to the table, I believe God wants us to remember 3 of the treasures that make up the jackpot that He has prepared for us in Christ Jesus. << PRAY >>

Turn with me in your Bible to Revelation 1:4-7 … READ.

Jesus loves us in our sin

Aren’t the words of verse 5 fantastic? “Unto Him that loves us …” Notice the verb ‘LOVES’. It is not a past tense verb in fact; it is an action word that is in the present active tense. Jesus loves you … now. In fact the verse could read, “to Him that is loving us”. So how do we describe the ‘love’ that Jesus has for us?

Jesus loves us the way we are

There is nothing you can do to ‘MAKE’ God love you. And there is nothing you can do to make God stop loving you. God loves you … warts and all. You don’t have to clean yourself up … put on certain clothes or act a different way … Jesus loves you the way you are!

Jesus loves you sacrificially

The word ‘LOVE’ that John uses here is the strongest form of the word LOVE in all of the New Testament. God’s love for you and me. Nothing in all of creation warrants that kind of love. He has placed a value on you that is beyond compare. You are one of a kind … exceedingly precious in His sight … no matter where you’ve been or where you are, Jesus paid the price of His own life for you. And this sacrificial love for you is displayed in the cross. Romans 5:8 says …

Because He loves you the way you are and because He loves you sacrificially, He also hears us and answers us when we pray.
The scripture says that by His wounds we are healed … healed from sin and healed from sickness and disease

Tina … can I have you join me here. I have a prayer card in my hand from Keith … Please pray for Tina … tell me about this card …
So you had surgery early this month to remove your thyroid gland because of the risk of Cancer … so we prayed, we anointed you with oil … and God answered … What did the doctor say about the results?

Praise God, because of His great love for you Tina, God has had mercy on you and is healing you!

Jesus frees us from our sin

The King James Version of verse 5 says that Jesus “washed us from our sins in His blood”. The word ‘WASHED’ or ‘FREED’ or ‘LOOSED’ could all be used interchangeably here. Through Jesus death, burial and resurrection, He is able to FREE sinners. Did you here that, Jesus is able to FREE you! He can free you from your habit of sin, He can free you from your addiction, He can free you from your guilt and He can free you from bondage. John 8:36 says this … “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Binder …

Please tell us briefly where you were 2 years ago when we first met
How hopeless was the situation before the courts? So we prayed!
What happened in July 2006?
And what happened this week?

Not only does God have the authority to turn the judicial system inside out … He frees us … washes us from our sins by giving himself for us. I know of a man who has give blood more than 50 times. Because of his sacrifice, countless peoples lives have been spared … they’ve been saved.

How much more precious is the blood of Jesus that was given for you to give you eternal life?
1 Peter 1:18-19 says …

And He frees us from our sins as we receive Him

The word is ‘FREED’. Did you notice … it is past tense … completed … done with. You have been set free. All you need to do is receive this freedom. You have been set free! Jesus does not need to go back the cross again to set you free … it’s done … forever! Jesus called it being ‘born again’

Jesus lifts us out of our sin

Let’s look again at verse 6. “He has made us a kingdom and priests to serve God”. When we experience the ‘New Birth’ that Jesus talked about, Jesus lifts us out of our sinful way of life and gives us work to do … to serve Him as a priest! Jesus was lifted up on the cross so that we could be lifted up to new living. Everywhere the good news of Jesus is preached … everywhere in the world … Jesus lifts sinners out of the bondage and blackness of sin in to God’s glorious forgiveness and love. And in this, He sets us free to serve Him … yes God can use little old you, right here in Canada to bless someone else, somewhere else in this world. Let me give you an example of what God wants to do with you once He’s set lifted you from sin …

Vicki, could you please join me …

How long have you been a Christ follower?
What have you been doing for the past few years? You also have a business at home where you care for people’s physical needs and you minister to their spiritual needs right? Tell us what happened recently.

Has God lifted you from your sin and given you an opportunity to minister for Him?

And God will use you also. If He can take Vicki to Chile to bless a lady and a group of people there, then He can use you. If He can take the Saul of Tarsus who murdered and persecuted Christians and make Him to be the Great Apostle Paul … If He can take Peter, the one who denied he even knew Jesus and make him to be a great preacher to the Jewish world … and if He can lift Binder out of Jail and give him Canadian citizenship … heal Tina from a dangerous thyroid condition … and use Vicki to bless many people in Chile …

Then He can use you!
So come to the table and remember … He paid the price … He opened the door

He loves you. He gave to you. When you believe in Him, you live!

COMMUNION 1 Corinthians 11:23-26